Ex-Financial Times Journalist Tom Foremski @ the Collision of Technology and Media

Newswatch 1.14.07: It's Macworld time!

[Newsfactor] With Apple's ability to design unique-looking products, the notebook sector is one where Apple can do something "sexy," NPD analyst Steve Baker said. Still it won't be a "driver of volume" this year. "By putting [in] flash and possibly LED backlighting, that's going to be a pretty expensive product," he said.

[TechCrunch] With iGoogle integration, developers don’t have to wait for Apple to open up the iPhone to third-party apps. They can just create an iGoogle gadget instead. No wonder Google CEO Eric Schmidt recuses himself from iPhone discussions when he goes to Apple board meetings.

[Reuters] Toshiba Corp said on Monday it is slashing prices of its HD DVD format players by between 40 to 50 percent as major Hollywood studios move to embrace Sony Corp's Blu-ray format high definition DVDs.

[InfoWeek] "Unlimited has always been a very powerful selling point with our subscribers and a large part of what set us apart in the marketplace," Leslie Kilgore, the company's chief marketing officer, said in a prepared statement. "In talking with members about our streaming feature during the past year, it became clear that, as with DVDs, the idea of streaming unlimited movies and TV episodes on a PC resonated quite strongly. And we're now in a good position to offer that."

[PCW] It appears that a single gang is behind the attacks, since the malicious software it spreads is storing login and password details on one server in Spain, said Yuval Ben-Itzhak. Finjan is trying to get the ISP (Internet service provider) to shut it down, he said.

[InfoWeek] Oracle on Tuesday is scheduled to issue 21 patches for its database, applications, and related products, a move that reflects a four-year old patching process. But a software executive who's been visiting Oracle user groups says only a third of Oracle database administrators adopt the patches.